Life Expectancy?

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Forristicat

Forristicat

Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
56
Hi all,

I was wondering what the life expectancy is with someone with Crohn's?

I asked my doctor and he said there is no reduced life expectancy, but I wanted to get this forum's take.

I think this question was asked about 5 years ago on a different thread but was curious for new input/studies which may have happened since then.
 
With proper diet and health care, Crohns can be controlled.

Crohns isn't a fatal disease but its complications can aggravate other diseases like diabetes or heart disease.
 
I recently applied for an additional 100,000 of life insurance through my employers plan.

The insurance company denied my request because of having Crohns disease.

The people whose business is knowing the probability of their potential customers premature demise are saying we are a bad risk. At least at 54 years old they are predicting that.

Dan
 
The mad thing is weather we may die younger or not, they still get their premiums till we do.. at a no doubt increased rate !!so wheres the problem i ask ???
most things iv read say we may only lose a couple of years of life expectancy anyhow. Other people they insure could die of heart attack at any point so whats the diff ? Oh well they are a law unto themselves insurers 😠
 
mandyk said:
The mad thing is weather we may die younger or not, they still get their premiums till we do.. at a no doubt increased rate !!so wheres the problem i ask ???
most things iv read say we may only lose a couple of years of life expectancy anyhow. Other people they insure could die of heart attack at any point so whats the diff ? Oh well they are a law unto themselves insurers 😠
Click to expand...
Agreed.
 
As far as I know, I should be around for a long time yet. Things are well under control Crohns wise. But like you said you can die of anything else. I could get hit by a Twinkie truck.

Dan
 
Life insurance is another thing altogether. It isn't specifically that they see CD as having a lower life expectancy as it is that those with CD have a much higher risk of surgery(among other complications like mentioned above) and with surgery there are always rusks (regardless of the type) so these risks add up when plugged in to their formulas.

I agree anyone can die unexpectedly but those risks are already woven into the formulas the CD associated risks are on top of the unexpected twinkie truck death.
 
With the life insurance aspect, I was not yet diagnosed with Crohn's when I signed up for life insurance.
 
I was lucky enough and did my life insurance before diagnoses. I was having some problems hust begging my flare last december. Blood work showed elevated phosphatates and then after approval aof a month or so got really sick. Got tested for cancers etc and eventually 4 months later diagnosed as crohns.
 
Hard to say. Depends on numerous factors like how severe your case is, and what medications you are taking.

Side effects of certain medications that CD / UC patients take can reduce life expectancy quite a bit. I mean, some of the drugs we take can cause extremely lethal cases of cancer. Extremely rare, but it happens.

But if you manage to reach remission and are lucky to avoid any serious side effects and make sure you go for check ups as the doctors recommend (especially the ones for cancer as you get older and have lived with the disease for a long time), you shouldn't see any real difference between you and ''healthy'' people.

In fact, heart disease is what claims most people in the western world, and most of those it claims are people who combine bad eating habits with lack of exercise.
Eat healthy, exercise, take care of your body and there's a good chance you will live longer than most.
 
When I was in the Hospital a few years ago the radiologist said they had two patients die the previous month a 28 year old women and 45 year old male. He told me to take the disease seriously, it can get bad really fast. so I think we are at higher risk than other people.


Lauren
 
I've have CD since 2005 and I was approved for life insurance two months ago. None of the questions on the application asked about CD or IBD, or any autoimmune disease for that matter.
 
Well, my father had very severe Crohns (onset age in his fifties) and he lived till 84, dying of diabetic complications. So although Crohns had a devastating effect on his life, I don't think it affected his life expectancy.
 
To many people care about seeing 80 or 90. Its never the quanity of years but the quaility. Id rather die young and have a great time then be 90 and have had no quaility to it.
 
I dont, im a very religious person and my faith keeps me from fearing death. Dr thought i had cancer in the begining of diagnoses and i told him if it was cancer and bad i wouldnt treat it. No since in prolonging the inevitable.
 
Its very common. No one wants to die. Ive just been kind of use to it. Almost all the important people in my l8fe have died. My dad is 54 with stage 5 kidney failure and will go at any time. Grandparents are dead, lost other family and a few long term friends.
 
Pilgrim said:
I felt that way when I was younger.
Click to expand...

Yes - "Hope I die before I get old". Very easy to say when you're 20. I bet Pete Townsend and Roger Daltry don't feel the same way now.

One thing that worries me slightly is that I've probably had 20 years of vitamin and mineral deficiencies thanks to undiagnosed Crohns and that can't be good for your long term health.
 
Just used to death, I have faith, but at this point in my life I still care. I love my kids and sure don't feel my time is up with them yet.

Do you use medication for your CD? I guess I wonder where you draw the line as far as health treatment. When I was working in a Drs office we had people who refused treatment for things that were treatable, and they needlessly died. Meaning, the treatment did not rob them of quality of life and they could have a had a great many years left with family.


Lauren
 
Yes i use medication for my cd. Due to my family history of cancer and my wieghtloss and blood loss it was thought to be cancer. Thankfully it wasnt. I was just saying if it was something like late stage cancer i wouldnt treat it how my family did. It was more pain and did nothing benificial. As long as i have a chance i would fight it. I want to grow old but am saying i care more about enjoying life then living one of no fullfilment with old age.
 
2010MUstang-

I totally agree with quality of life- for every pt that did not choose treatment it seemed
twice as many families insisted a loved one continue treatment and quality of life was
very poor. Thats not living.

I also went round and round with my mother-in-law, in her eyes if I prayed hard enough and
had more faith i wouldn't have CD. God would cure me! We didn't see eye to eye on that one.

Hope your doing well


Lauren
 
I treat myself. Medications didn't do the trick for me.

I would rather die younger able to function than live till a old age incapacitated. Its really not up to me anyway. I will take it as it comes. At 54, I feel I have had a pretty good run no matter what comes next.

Dan
 

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